Mission & Values

Powhatan School believes that successful education creates lifelong learners who use their knowledge, creativity, and skills to be confident students in an ever-changing world.

Why choose a K-8

We believe strongly in a PK-8 educational environment. The learning opportunities when elementary and middle school students attend classes together on the same campus are many and invaluable. Read more

Lower School (PK-5)

Powhatan’s Lower School (PK-5) provides a safe, nurturing environment where a firm foundation of academic, interpersonal, athletic, and cultural skills is built for each student.

Upper School (6-8)

Consisting of grades six to eight, with each grade divided into two sections of up to sixteen students, the Upper School seeks to prepare students to be academically successful at the high school level as well as socially skilled, community minded, and civically and environmentally responsible.

Welcome

This Admissions section serves as your resource for learning more about the inquiry and application process, and is designed to help guide you in your decision-making regarding Powhatan School and independent schools in general.

Specials

Specials consist of art, music, sports, technology, outdoor education and library. All students take Specials – you do not have to choose one or the other, they are built into every student’s class schedule.

Art

The art program at Powhatan builds progressively on skills from kindergarten through eighth grade. Classes work with a wide range of age-appropriate materials and techniques, such as sketching, painting, sculpture, print making, crafts, and collage. Students also participate in particular projects for class plays, costumes and props, event posters, and seasonal decorations. Through the introduction of art history, integrated with grade-level content, students learn to appreciate a wide range of art forms and styles.

The Upper School art program is designed to offer a variety of complex projects. The works are more involved, with a range of steps and different techniques, to yield a more sophisticated result. The course is divided into three trimesters, allowing each student two trimesters of art a year. The third trimester may be used to make props and/or sets for the drama production of each particular grade. Powhatan values the artistic endeavors of all students and encourages all students who demonstrate talent or interest.

In 2014 we began the Visiting Artist Program, giving student’s access to phenomenal professional artists working in various mediums:

Music

The music program at Powhatan is inclusive and involves all students in grades pre-kindergarten through eight. Students learn music skills, theory, appreciation of other cultures and genres, and receive multiple opportunities to perform in small and large groups for peers, adults, and the community.

The activities of the music program are age-appropriate and wide-ranging; including singing, dancing, games, sign language, rhythm instruments, hand chimes, Orff instruments, solfege, composition, studies of composers, and elements of music. Additionally, activities such as discussing musical selections, responding kinesthetically to music, learning to read and write music notation, learning correct fingering, hand position, and playing in an ensemble are introduced and developed. The art and music teachers frequently coordinate their efforts with the classroom teachers in broadening a unit of study or creating a final presentation. Powhatan supports the music program by providing special opportunities for students such as trips to the Kennedy Center and inviting performers to our campus.

The Upper School music program focuses on learning to appreciate a variety of musical eras and genres, understanding how social and historical changes impact the arts, identifying differences in composers lives and styles, dissecting musical pieces, and expressing thoughts, feelings, and observations through written response. The course is divided into three trimesters, allowing each student two trimesters of music per year. The third trimester may be used to learn and rehearse music for a drama production of a particular grade. Students may elect to participate in the Upper School Chorus, which performs at Carol Sing and Graduation, or they may participate in an elective string ensemble for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Powhatan believes that every child is capable of appreciating, understanding, and creating music and provides students with a means of expression in a unique and personal way.

Library

The Lindsey Library’s extensive collection of books encourages lifelong learning and the love of reading for the students and staff of Powhatan School. The library supports the classroom curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade with a diversity of materials. The selection of materials complements the varied learning styles, interests, and needs of our patrons. The library is the heart of Powhatan.

Upper School students visit the library on an as-needed basis. The students may visit individually, in small groups, or as a whole class for research project or pleasure reading materials.

Sports

Upper School students in sixth through eighth grades have a daily sports practice. Scheduled at the end of the academic day, the sports program allows for intramural play within Powhatan and intramural play within the Piedmont Athletic Association. A wide variety of gender-based sports are offered to students each trimester, including lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country track, basketball, dance, physical fitness, and track and field.

With an emphasis on demonstrating good sportsmanship, developing skills, providing team experiences, and building self-confidence, Powhatan’s sports program teaches students how to remain physically fit and active in a safe way.

The Athletic Department’s activities culminate each year with Field Day – a tradition that goes back decades and pits POSTS verses RAILS in traditional track and field events across grade levels.

Technology

Powhatan’s technology program is founded on the belief that technology is an essential tool in assisting students in learning beyond the classroom. To that end, all students have access to computers in their classrooms, individual laptops, and Smart Boards at each grade level as well as the computer lab. Students in sixth through eighth grade continue to build skills in keyboarding, word processing, and Internet research. They also learn how to create a Microsoft Power Point presentation and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as well as how to navigate a database. These skills enhance learning and provide interactive lessons in all content areas. Students also acquire an understanding of how to use specific hardware, software, and related technologies, allowing them to adapt to the complex technology environments that will emerge during their lifetimes.

World Languages

We immediately start with introducing world languages in the Lower School. Pre-K students are exposed to both French and Spanish. The primary goal is to develop awareness, interest, and enthusiasm for the languages, the people, and the cultures. The program also seeks to develop students’ listening and speaking skills. A formal Spanish sequential curriculum is taught from Kindergarten through fourth grade. Students learn how to interact in Spanish with meaningful contexts. Topics and projects provide a framework for vocabulary and linguistic structures. The skills are based on the ACTFL standards for modern language learning. Communication refers to interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills. Through the target language, students also learn about culture, make connections across disciplines, and compare traditions and practices.

Fifth grade students continue Spanish for three months then switch to French, and finish the year with Latin. The exploratory Spanish, French, and Latin program for fifth graders develops basic skills necessary for comprehension and linguistic proficiency in the chosen language.

Languages continue in the Upper School. All sixth graders choose to take either French or Spanish for their final three years at Powhatan. Both will stress the use of the target language. Emphasis is placed on the four communicative skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The world language program also promotes the development of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational, through a setting that strengthens students’ appreciation for French and Spanish speaking cultures, provides a context for developing confidence to start communicating in the second language, and enhances cross-cultural awareness. Upon leaving Powhatan, students will have completed a minimum of level one in either French or Spanish.

An optional Latin class incorporating Greek and Latin etymology study is offered once a week after school in sixth grade.